OH, CANADA. You certainly threw us some curveballs this weekend. I'm glad I was home and able to watch the whole event, because if not, I would have been *very* confused. I'm not sure that I have yet to even process all that happened, but I'll do my best.

MEN:Oh, Jesus lord, the men were trying to kill us. That short program was AN EVENT, YOU GUYS. Someone tweeted the question of why the men are either amazing or a disaster and the simple answer is #quads. They're amazing when they're done beautifully, but awful for the skaters and audience when not. ESPECIALLY when you see one right after the other, after the other, etc. Patrick Chan and Yuzuru Hanyuare undoubtedly two of skating's greats, even though not at their best here. I give Yuzu credit for trying something new with his Prince short program, even if he does go back to his (stunning) wheelhouse for the free. Patrick's programs aren't stylistically new, but you can't blame him for choosing these programs when they show off his incredible skating skills they way they do. Can't wait to see these men at their best later in the season. Patrick skates next at Cup of China against Boyang Jin, Daisuke Murakami and Sergei Voronov. Yuzu will end the season at home against Mikhail Kolyada, Nathan Chen and Jason Brown.

Shoutout to Kevin Reynolds for being a surprise upset for bronze (lol Canada) and I really loved Misha Ge here. I thought both his programs were great choices and he performs them well. The American men had a really rough event. It also was nice to see Han Yan skate again, even if he's slowly building back to form.

PAIRS:Duhamel/Radford won here, as expected. They improved on their earlier season competitions and I have to say the height of that 3AT was impressive. They are such a technical powerful team that it seems hard to pick music that works with their style and you can see that they're planing around with music choices again this year. Eric is just so pretty to look at that it's hard to watch Meagn at times, which is quite unusual for pairs. They should coast to another easy win at NHK before heading to the Final, where I hope they can be challenged technically by other teams we haven't seen compete yet this season.

In their debut as a pair, Yu/Zhang had a great finish for silver. They came in as complete wildcards and their elements were really good for such a short time together. Though that probably isn't that surprising, as the Chinese are SO excellent in pairs. There was obvious controversy about how this pairing came to be, and it's hard not to see these two with their other partners still. Again, the elements are good but understandably the connection between them is entirely vacant at this point. They will skate against Peng/Jin at Cup of China. Also competing in China, shoutout to Iliuysheshkina/Moscovitch for their bronze medal. I actually called this one- I just had a feeling! Her lift positions are +100000 GOE and I think the music choices this year were good ones for them.

There was some controversy with Denney/Frazier not getting the bronze, but if you look at the scores, the PCS mark actually made the difference, which I agree with. A 2nd and 4th place in the Grand Prix is a great finish for an American pair, though, and they will be well in the conversation for Nationals.

Whew! That's it for Skate Canada. On to Rosteleco Cup Predictions tomorrow. No rest for the wicked in the Grand Prix, people!

OH, CANADA. You certainly threw us some curveballs this weekend. I'm glad I was home and able to watch the whole event, because if not, I would have been *very* confused. I'm not sure that I have yet to even process all that happened, but I'll do my best.

DANCE: Canada could not have been happier to welcome Virtue and Moir back to competition on home ice, and they gave the crowd a win in return. I personally have no strong feelings, about this team either way, but I think their short dance to Prince was a winner in terms of music selection. The free dance is a good program, but I wonder if lyrical was a good choice when both the Shibs and Papadakis/Cizeron are doing lyrical as well this season in the free? The short stands out so much more because of its tempo and style. Tessa and Scott weren't perfect, but after two years off, you couldn't ask for much more than coming back with a win. Their battle with Papadakis/Cizeron at NHK is one of the most anticipated matches of the year.

Last season, everyone was saying Chock/Bates needed to try a new style, and I give them credit for finally going for it this year. I can't really get behind the "Bad to the Bone" choice in the short, but I their "Under Pressure" free dance served them well here. As I mentioned above, with so many top teams doing lyrical in the free, Chock/Bates program will be a nice change of pace in comparison. It's not guaranteed to work in their favor, but it could. I like faster tempo sections of their free, but the slow part in the middle lost me. After a rough couple of preseason events, this was a good boost to their season. They have a tough challenge ahead of them this week, as they skate back-to-back events at Rostelecom, where they face Weaver/Poje and Bobrova/Soloviev in a great matchup.

Cheers to Gilles/Prior to pulling off an upset here and getting the bronze. While the short dance is hokey and not really my style, it embraces their quirky personalities and they get into it. (The mustache I could do without though). I am not a fan of choosing tangoes in a season when they aren't required (because we see too many of them,) but you could see how happy they were with their skate. At least it's a different look from last year, and the judges really liked it here. This was a big medal for them. They skate next in France against Papadakis/Cizeron and Hubbell/Donahue.

This was not such a good result for Cappellini/Lannotte whom many picked for bronze (myself included). To me, they keep sticking with the same style season after season and are in a bit of a rut. If they keep these programs, they may lose some ground this year internationally. They have a tough second assignment at NHK and are going to have a tough time making it to the Final this year.

Also at NHK will be Hawayek/Luc Baker. I really like their free dance this season, and I thought they should've placed above Stepanova/Bukin, whom were totally unmemorable for me here.

OH, CANADA. You certainly threw us some curveballs this weekend. I'm glad I was home and able to watch the whole event, because if not, I would have been *very* confused. I'm not sure that I have yet to even process all that happened, but I'll do my best.

LADIES: Well, Evgenia Medvedeva winning was one of the least controversial things to happen. The World champ was consistent and technically solid (aside from a few small errors) and expectedly walked away with the title. I give her 100% credit for actually using her face, interpreting music and performing to the audience, but I am tired of her style after just two seasons. I would love to see her try something entirely different. Speaking of, Evgenia, you seem sweet- the 9/11 voiceovers NEED TO GO. She may be too young to understand and apparently the program isn't about that, but the voiceovers are uncomfortable, unnecessary and bordering the line of good taste. The program will work without them; DITCH THEM. So far, it looks like she's managed to hang on to her consistency and should be a lock for the Final, pending a good finish a Trophee de France. She'll face Mao Asada and Gracie Gold there.

Canada loves Kaetlyn Osmund and so did the Skate Canada judges. She does have great speed and her jumps are big (with great ride out) when she's on. She interprets her music well enough, even if the music isn't anything special. So I can't entirely hate on her medalling here, but FOR SURE she was overscored and I can't see that performance getting the same score outside of Canada. It will be interesting to see if she can continue to be technically solid as the season goes on. She'll skate next at Cup of China, against Wagner, Tuktamysheva and Radionova.

What on earth is happening to Satoko Miyahra? And I don't mean happening WITH her- I mean TO her. I will admit some of her jump landings in the free were a little off, but her skating went far under appreciated here. I think her programs are fantastic choices - most especially that free skate- but what on earth does she have to do to convince the judges?!? She's a tiny person; she can't jump as high as someone four inches taller than her. Overall, we're early on in the season and it's her incredible consistency that may end up serving her the best in the long run this season. (It's a marathon, not a sprint!) She skates at home for her second event (NHK) and she could very well win there and get to the Final.

Elizaveta Tuktamysheva showed some technical improvements over last season and her preseason events here, but her consistency is still sketchy and her programs are still empty. A landed 3A in practice has brought her back into the conversation, but without the backup of her other jumps' consistency, it may not matter. She skates next at Cup of China. Alaine Chartrand had a decent event here; I like her programs and it will be very interesting to see who wins the Canadian ladies title in January. She's assigned next to NHK. Unfortunately for Mirai Nagasu, she couldn't capitalize on great practices in the competition. While this was a missed opportunity, she does have a second assignment at the last event before the Final and hopefully she'll be extra motivated to make a statement there before U.S. Nationals.

The marathon that is the Grand Prix has started! I'm still #hungover from Skate America, but, ready or not, more skating is happening! How is it week 2 and I'm behind already? Anyways, here are my picks:

MEN:If Ashley vs. Gracie was the "key matchup" of last week, Yuzu vs. Patrick is it this week. Practice reports already have them both upping the technical ante (adding more quads, but of course) and both men have a stunning overall package when they put it all together. Because of the sheer number of quads he'll be trying, Yuzuru Hanyu is my pick for gold. Do I think he'll land them all? Nope. But more than Patrick Chan, who will pick up a silver medal. When it comes to bronze, I debated as SO many men in this field are unpredictable, but Takahito Mura is my gut reaction and pick for third place.

I am also interested to see where Han Yan is after his Worlds disappointment and what the two American men here, Miner and Hochstein, will bring to the table this season.

LADIES:Two of skating's most consistent skaters from last season meet here, with Evengia and Satoko competing in Mississauga. Though I prefer Satoko's overall skating and packaging to the reigning World champ's, Evgenia's point potential is going to be hard to beat. Honestly, it will probably take mistakes from Evgenia for Satoko to win, though I expect nothing but perfection from Tiny Queen. I will pick Evgenia Medvedeva for gold, followed by a probably underscored Satoko Miyahara. For bronze, I am tempted to pick a home country skater because, well, Canada... but I am going to give it to Mirai Nagasu, who has a *ton* of momentum to gain here with clean skates.

Speaking of the Canadian ladies, it will be interesting to see where Kaetlyn and Alaine finish before they compete again for a national title in January. Also, where will Elizaveta Tuktamysheva be? WHO. KNOWS.

PAIRS: Well, this one is kind of a no-brainer. Home country headliners Duhamel/Radford will win gold, and the more interesting part may be which of their difficult technical elements they manage to land at this point in the year. I'm gonna be real here and tell you my other podium picks are complete hunches and have literally NO basis in logic or data. I know Kavaguti/Smirnov are still recovering from an injury, but for some reason I think they'll improve here for silver. I'll pick Ilyusheskina/Moscovitch for bronze because they're skating at home.

Newly partner-swapped Chinese team of Yu/Zhang could totally throw a huge wrench in this whole thing if they skate well, but having never competed together, they aren't a safe bet at this point. I will be interested to see how they are working as a team, and also curious to see if Denney/Frazier can build on the momentum of their Skate America silver.

DANCE:We all know this storyline, don't we? Virtue/Moir are making their Grand Prix return after two seasons off, and many are curious to see how they can fit into today's dance scene. Because their return is so anticipated, because they are skating at home, and because their programs looked strong at Autumn Classic, I will pick Virtue/Moir to make a triumphant comeback win. The battle for silver and bronze is going to be a good one between Chock/Bates and Cappelini/Lannotte. The Americans are trying a completely new style this year, and I give them props for finally going for it. While they may have had lower scores in their Challenger events, I think Chock/Bates will be received better here for the silver medal. Capellini/Lannotte should safely win bronze, though a silver wouldn't surprise me either.

Outside of the top three, I'm interested to see wether Hawayek/Baker can make some progress in their career after falling to U.S.'s number five spot last year. Also, Gilles/Prioir had a great moment in the short dance at Worlds; is it possible for them to get closer to the highest level dance teams in the World?

Overall a strong start to the season with a 47T placement in USFS's fantasy skating. I managed to correctly pick all of the winners and got all three ladies picks correct. I got two dance and pair picks, with one in men. I am not gonna complain about an 8/12 start.

For TSL's fantasy, I tanked at #305. Again, I correctly picked all four winners, but only picked 1 other placement correct- 6th in pairs haha. I picked 4 head-to-head winners, picked Dave's upset and the country with the most medals. Team Buckley came in second, so I got 10 points for that. It's a lot harder to correctly pick placements, people.

MEN:If I had to pick an event that was truly *EXCITING*, it would have to be the men's final flight in the free skate. Adam, Shoma and Jason had three great skates back-to-back-to-back and it was literally worth the price of admission just to see Shoma and that incredible free skate. He's the whole package, and I literally tweeted that the last three men were the perfect example that jumps and performance quality CAN AND DO exist at the same time. That was men's skating at some of it's best.

I found Boyang Jin's programs and exhibition number (COWBOYang if you haven't seen it) to be delightfully entertaining. I was laughing, I was smiling, I was DYING! Like, I actually *like* the Spider Man program for him. He commits to it, and the choreography is so over-the-top that it somehow works. You can see that they're strategizing to overcome his lack of components with the material this year. Shoutout to Adam for rocking (successfully) the tank top in the short, Jason for standing up his quad, and Voronov for somehow ending up fourth??? Muse is a miracle worker, guys.

PAIRS:I'd be lying to you if I told you that pairs event wasn't a rough one. Pairs is obviously really hard. My faves of Castelli/Tran, Kayne/OShea and James/Cipres had a tough go, though I like the potential. Props to Mervissa for having an *almost* perfect short and I love the music. The India program for Kayne/Oshea was a really good choice for them, and Tarah's look was fab. James and Cipres are so collectively attractive that they should get a deduction, and the music choices were (fire emoji.)

Congrats to the Baby Canadians for coming through #formyfantasyteam and I sincerely wish all pair boys could use their face like Charlie Bilodeau. Much respect to Denney/Frazier for getting an unexpected silver medal after coming back from a big injury. Both of their programs are snoozy to me, but their consistency is a huge asset. Tarasova and Morosov's 3T is really cool to see live and I am so jealous of whomever is in the rink when they get that 4T.

DANCE: It's getting late and this post is getting long, so I'm gonna be quick here. The Shibs rocked the hip hop in the short- you can *tell* they put a lot of time into making the hip hop look natural, and they pull it off really well. They are perfect humans and Maia's free dance dress was only second to Alex's short dance tux ensemble. There is FAR TOO MANY MUSIC CHOICES in H/D's short, but that free was really beautiful. Just stab us in the heart repeatedly, why don't you?

​Elena is unfairly gorgeous and I could watch her dance all day. Shoutout to Pogrebinsky/Benoit- I thought they had some really great moments in their free dance. Kana Muramoto gives great face, and that immediately makes me like her. (Insightful commentary, I know. )

That (quickly) wraps up Skate America as I move on to previewing Skate Canada! The gauntlet that is Grand Prix has officially begun- pray for us all : )

The ladies event at Skate America was perhaps (definitely for me) the most anticipated discipline at Skate America, with Mao Asada, Gracie Gold and Ashley Wagner as the headliners. In the end, the anticipation kind of fizzled in terms of the matchup between those three, but there still were several fantastic moments that made the event memorable for me. Here's my highlights:

1. The Debut of Ashley Wagner's "Sweet Dreams" Short- As much as Ashley's been a "long program skater" in the past, it was the strength of her short that put her on top of the podium here. No one else could pull off "Sweet Dreams" except for Ashley- her commitment and delivery of the program are what make it work. The costume and makeup were also fabulous. Overall, loved the program and it had me screaming "YAAAAS QUEEEN!" from the stands. The free skate was a great example to me that Ashley can truly skate to anything- the interpretation and packaging were on point. The technical elements fizzled as the program went on, but that program has stunning potential. What I think Ashley needs is a season of *consistency* and she got a great start here. She can lock up a spot at the Final at Cup of China.

2. The Mariah Bell Surprise- When Mariah Bell finished her free skate, it was like a breath of air in that arena, let me tell you. It was a little snoozy up until that point, but Mariah turned the energy level way up. I like the jazziness of her short more than what she brings in the free, but you couldn't help but get excited that she was so excited after her great skate. For someone that wasn't going to the event until last minute, a silver medal deserves huge props. The real challenge will come in following up this performance with another good one-to continue momentum. At the moment, she doesn't have another GP assignment, but you have to think she's now first on USFSA's list if a spot does become available.

3. Mai Mihara's First GP Event- Many people had their eye on Mai Mihara coming into this event, and she proved there was credibility to that talk with a bronze medal. It was the consistency of her two skates that put her on the podium, and that's not easy to do the first time out on the GP. There's a lot to like about Mai's skating and any international experience she'll get from here on out will help her refine and build on her overall package. She will skate at Cup of China, where another medal isn't entirely out of the question.

4. Gabby Daleman's Triple Triple- Watching it live, people, it's even more amazing than on camera. It literally dwarfs everyone else's jumps. They were truly a highlight of her programs and the event overall. I think Gabby has really strong program material this season and she's more of a performer than she ever used to be. She goes back to France for her second event.

5. Mao Asada is a literal goddess- I did see Mao's free skate in person last year, but here at Skate America I had better seats and got to watch her practice, in the event and the exhibition. I am literally *not* worthy. There's a quality and class level to her skating that is unmatched. She is by far the best skater to watch everywhere in between the jumps and she doesn't waste a single movement. Costumes, music, interpretation- SHE IS ON ANOTHER LEVEL. She skates next at Trophee de France. (RIP Trophee Bombard).

It'd be weird and incomplete if I didn't mention Gracie, as she was a big storyline coming into this event. The 3Lz-3T in the short was a highlight and a reminder of the technician she is at her best. Obviously a disappointing result for her here, and we've all read the reports about her comments after the event. I hope Gracie is in an environment where she can feel comfortable asking for whatever it is she needs to be a happy, healthy person. Hopefully she will take some time to consider where she goes from here. She is scheduled to compete next in France.

We move on next week to Skate Canada! I am still in competition hangover status, but I'll do my best to write briefly about the other disciplines before it starts. Hopefully : )

OH MY GOD. The 2016-17 Grand Prix is finally here! I am excited not only for the series to start, but also because I will be at the event, all three days of competition and Thursday's practices. Make sure you follow me on Twitter for tons of photos, video and updates from Hoffmann Estates! Life has been crazy, prepping for this trip and working the day job, so this predictions post will be short and sweet. Hopefully I can post a more in depth review after the event, but a ton of my updates will be on my Twitter account.

LADIES: In the most anticipated matchup of this event, Gracie Gold and Ashley Wagner will be fighting it out for medal contention this week. This rivalry has gone back and forth, with neither one having the consistency over time to really emerge as a front runner. But, with 2018 approaching fast, now would be the time to take the reigns. Mao Asada is of course the other big name coming in, but has also been inconsistent. When I look at the field as a whole, I have little doubt these will be the medallists, but beyond that, not much is a safe bet. If Gracie's clean (and that's a big IF) or if Mao can land a triple axel or two (another big IF), either could get the marks to win by a mile. But are those things really going to happen?

Overall (and I'm so blessed to live in a world where I can say this) Ashley has been the most consistent as of late and therefore I'm picking her to win. I hope to see her skating with fire and confidence. Speaking of confidence, Gracie really needs to pick herself back up after a rough couple of skates. I think she will skate strongly enough for silver, but make some technical mistakes that will open the door. I hope to see Mao Asada with some higher technical difficulty to place in third.

DANCE: With Maia and Alex being so hush hush about their program content, I'm excited to see what they will bring to the table here. Having not competed yet this season, they talked alot in their press conference about all the work they've put into their programs. I'm anticipating a great debut to their season and for them to win the event. As much as I love Hubbell/Donahue, the reception to their new programs (particularly the short) hasn't been warm. I'm hoping the scoring will be different on the Grand Prix and that they can grab the silver here with a strong free dance. Bobrova and Soloviev aren't my favorite as a team, but they have better programs this year and I see them picking up bronze.

Again, this was a short predictions post, but stay tuned for all my fun posts from the event!